St Bede the Venerable, monk of Jarrow

St Bede was an English monk, born around 672 and given as a boy to the monastery at Jarrow, where he stayed all his life. He became a deacon at 19 and a priest at 30. He wrote 45 works, including 30 Bible commentaries and the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, a landmark in the writing of history. In his last Lent he was translating the Gospel of John into English, and he finished it on the day he died, praying Glory be to the Father. He died in 735. His feast is May 25. Light a free candle for students and scholars. St Bede, pray for us.